It's not often that "Stanford" Steve Coughlin has a chance to get under the skin of his fellow ESPN College GameDay cast members as a former Cardinal football player. However, as the crew sat in the midst of a Cal Golden Bears crowd, Coughlin rocked his Stanford gear to do just that... and it worked.
Only thirty minutes into the Saturday-morning show, which started at 6 a.m. in Berkeley, "Stanford" Steve's clothing choices were called into question and the GameDay crew was quick to bash on the Cardinal, aligning themselves with the masses that stood behind the stage.
Even the usually reserved and respectful Nick Saban had to get a few jabs in about Stanford.
Stanford Steve talking about the Cal fans: “I just wonder how many of these fans are here because they couldn’t get into Stanford.”
— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) October 5, 2024
Nick Saban’s immediate response: “If Stanford’s so great, why did you have a girlfriend here at Cal?”
Everybody: pic.twitter.com/9cfg4Rsb30
Of course, the Cardinal jumped to the defense of their former player and beloved Stanford icon. Coughlin has been with ESPN College GameDay in 2023 but has long held the nickname "Stanford" Steve.
.@StanfordSteve82 🔴🫡🤝
— Stanford Cardinal 🌲🤓 (@GoStanford) October 5, 2024
The jabs continued to go back and forth between the GameDay cast before Rece Davis had to finally throw up his hands and apologize to all Stanford fans, women, and people out there,
However, it seemed like fans across the country were enjoying the back-and-forth energy that GameDay brought to the early morning crowd.
That was a hilarious segment with Stanford Steve, Nick Saban, and @ReceDavis apologizing to the ladies of Stanford. Goodness 🤣@CollegeGameDay
— ⚡️ ⚡️⚡️ (@aimhigh_dynamo) October 5, 2024
These are the College Gameday shows that I live for. 6 am local time, pitch dark, raucous crowd.
— aaron folsom (@VersaceCaesar) October 5, 2024
They may or may not kidnap Stanford Steve by the end of it.
ESPN College GameDay is set to last until noon ET or just 9 a.m. in California. The Golden Bears are hosting the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes and the two teams are set to kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET... just 7:30 p.m. PT.